What is it?

A made-in-USA Champion Reverse Weave hooded sweatshirt.

How long have you had it?

35 years.

How did it come into your possession?

It’s the oldest piece of clothing that I have in my possession that I have owned from new, and was bought in a sports store, on a trip to New Jersey aged 17.

What does it mean to you?

Growing up in a subculture like Hardcore, so much of the material was viewed by us over this side of the Atlantic at a cultural remove. Not only the music and the bands that played it, but a lot of the clothing the participants sported in the photos in fanzines and record covers. 

An item as workaday as a Champion Reverse Weave was an impossible grail for someone in the English suburbs; the brand was simply unavailable and unexported at the time. A lot of the other identifiers of the “Youth Crew” uniform could be sourced or improvised – pin-tucked US Army combats, Nike trainers and baseball caps – but the heavyweight hoody with the embroidered ‘C’ logo remained an elusive mystery. It even took on superhero status thanks to myriad illustrations of the “hooded mosher” icon, often drawn as an anonymous muscle-bound enigma, eyes peering menacingly from the sweatshirt’s voluminous pulled up hood. 

After 35 years, it has held up remarkably well. The cuffs are frayed all the way to the wrist, the drawstring long vanished, and the cloth sun bleached down from a black to deep purple in some places and a reddish brown in others. Splattered paint a reminder to its diminished status in my wardrobe’s hierarchy. 

And what do you like about the vest?

The Crescent Down Works vest complements the Champion perfectly, reinforcing the ‘90s streetwear feel of the hoody alongside the timeless appeal of classic American outdoor and sportswear clobber.

Tony wears the Crescent Down Works Italian Vest in Olive. His new book, An Informal Guide to Workwear, is available now from Batsford Books.